Tag Archives: Heavy Metal

Friday Morning Metal – Crying Steel – You Got the Look

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Oooh this week we’ve got some Metal Bolognese, it’s You Got the Look from Crying Steel. They’ve been playing metal as long as I’ve been around, and that’s pretty cool. You can tell they aren’t baloney. The band has a solid classic sound and apparently sing about love, feelings, and sadness. Those are good vibes to draw on. Waiting for Encylopaedia Metallum to cite a band’s themes as “carpet installation, dog training, and vcr repair” like they learned to rock via Sally Struthers.

The song starts off with some solid hooky guitars and stompy drums before the singer gives us a good falsetto AWWWWRIIIIIIIGHT. You can’t go wrong starting a song with guitars and AWWWWRIIIIIIIGHT. The chorus is fun, you can tell they’re Bolognese when the singer says “You got the lewwwk.” About 2/3 through there’s a pretty solid solo which transitions into another solo. Double solo! This song rips and shreds and feels very much like it’s from 1985. Which is cool, there was some good metal back then.

The video is a lot of almost like animatics of a space lady trying to find a band to sign. There’s some shots of the band playing live on her viewscreens, so you can see just how awesome these guys are. In her effort to find the most rocking band ever, she happens upon a dork playing a grandspas guitar next to a campfire, which definitely does not rock. Eventually she finds Crying Steel and realizes they’re the band she has to sign to whatever space music label she represents. Their sound is pretty out of this world.

Friday Morning Metal – Battlesnake – I Killed Satan

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Here we go, some more Battlesnake, this time it’s I Killed Satan! This is much bigger and more bombastic than I am the Vomit, which is fun to hear. They’re stretching out! Or they were already stretched out, and I just wasn’t paying enough attention. Regardless, they’re bringing some more Australian cheek with this song and video combo.

The song starts with some soaring guitars and synthy sounds, definitely gives vibes of the intro to a Saturday afternoon movie. The general sound of the song is that kind of big power metally vibe similar to Dream Evil or Hammerfall. The vocals have a solid edge to them, not leaning on the operatic vibe of the rest of the song. After the breakdown there’s a solid guitar riff that sounds like a car revving, and then we’re back to the races of yelling about how they killed satan. This would be pretty rad live, getting the crowd to yell I killed satan. No solos, but that’s fine. Also the song is three and a half minutes long. Probably don’t need to do much more after describing how they killed satan.

Like I am the Vomit, the video has some great visuals, but now it looks like a movie that would’ve been on channel 11 at noon on a Saturday or something. I guess they also kill satan with an automatic gun! There’s some interesting green screen stuff they do to look like they’re out in this map from Hexen. Interesting in that they don’t line up the camera angles perfectly so it’s all janky and silly. All in all these guys look like they’re having a hoot making these videos and I look forward to more of them.

Friday Morning Metal – KK’s Priest – One More Shot at Glory

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Here we go, One More Shot at Glory from KK’s Priest. Apparently it’s KK Downing’s band, not KK Slider. Though if Animal Crossing had him play this song on one of those weekends it would’ve ruled. KK Downing used to play guitar in Judas Priest, and you can hear some of the parallels between the two. But a little dog dude shredding a flying V and singing in the Animal Crossing gibberish, that’d be the stuff right there.

The song starts with a bass intro before the guitars join in and we eventually get the main melody of the song. Wouldn’t you know, it sounds an awful lot like a Priest song but not necessarily One Shot at Glory. The galloping rhythm does give a bit of a Maiden vibe to me. Oh hey the singer is the guy they got to replace Halford for a few years. Man this really is like “we have Judas Priest at home.” It’s still fun and shreddy and has solid metal hallmarks. Downing’s solos cover the gamut, from noodly and frenetic to intimate and mildly soaring. Four and a half minutes for the song is a little long; a couple spots felt kind of draggy, but they weren’t unnecessary.

The video cuts between the band on a soundstage and a big epic battle scene. It’s fun how much fire they got on the soundstage, it must have been extra toasty. Oooh synchronized guitar posing! After the big battle, all seems to be lost, but then main sword guy goes for his one more shot at glory. The band is sufficiently leathered up, aside from the drummer. They even do some slow mo Downing shots, just to let you know how epic he is.

Friday Morning Metal – Leatherwitch – Heroes and the Dice

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Woo shreddy lady metal featuring ladies! This week we’re listening to Heroes and the Dice, from Katowice, Silesia. Silesia is apparently a region that covers a bit of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. I just learned that. So now you get to too! The band was started by Marta Gabriel, who was in Crystal Viper and also worked as a session musician with like Manilla Road and stuff. And she shreds! Also it’s spelled Leatherwitch, not leatherwich, which I assume is what happens to a hoagie if you leave it out in the sun too long.

The song starts off with some plinky plunky grandspas guitars before the drums come marching in. Definitely has the vibes of a Maiden song that would be the first song out the gate live. The pivot to chuggy guitars and big drums is pretty great. Marta’s got a great voice that soars overs the melody real well. The solo is fun, with crazy noodling and soary interludes. The drums are tomtastic and ready to guide many a runner to a huge PR on their next race.

The video is a combo of her performing along with clips of what looks to be wizards playing D&D in the woods. Or at least they’re rolling dice in the woods. I think they’re magical scrying dice or something. Then I think a dude gets stabbed with an enchanted dagger which someone buries on a beach. Maybe they were playing dice over who got stabbed. Or who had to do the stabbing. Marta’s white leather fingerless gloves are pretty badass, and there’s plenty of opportunities to watch her shred out. The placement of the lights behind her does make it look like she’s standing in front of a Jeep Wrangler while singing. But all in all it’s a fun song and video!

Mega Colossus – Razor City

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Happy Friday! Enjoy some bigass metal from Mega Colossus, this time it’s Razor City. These guys are from Raleigh, NC, and have been shredding faces since 2005. Although for 2005-2016 they were just Colossus. I guess in 2016 they upgraded. And whatever upgrade they did it is well worth it! These guys bring the metal that should be blasting out of every skate shop or dingy dive bar covered in stickers. They also have an album called “… and the Rift of the Pan-Dimensional Undergods” which is pretty spot on for a metal band.

The song kicks off with some staccato drums before a big metal scream. Also they’re slicing their way through the madness. I really dig the vocalist yelling RAZOR CITAAAAAAYYYYY before the first of many finger tappy solos. The vocals are not exactly what I’d expect on top of this kind of metal, but then he yells RAZOR CITAAAYYYY and I understand completely. The drums drive their way through the song, and into your heart. This is one of those “if I’m on a bike ride I’m putting up some PRs” type of songs. I feel like these guys had a checklist of awesome metal tropes to include in the song and took care of them with aplomb. Chock full of solos, chugga riffs, harmonizing, and more, this song rips so hard.

If Beavis & Butthead still covered music videos, this would’ve been in rotation. It cuts between the band playing in a club and clips from Skateboard Samurai 2. He starts off fighting a dude who looks kinda like him, and then he moves on to the Skooter Boys! There’s also a witch lady with a scrying orb and a little demon guy who looks like a Portuguese Gremlin. Oh dang guitar posing during the breakdown! And then a great twist at the end. I want to see more of Skateboard Samurai. He looks tough and awesome.

Friday Morning Metal – Templar – Treacherous Beast

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Straight out of Stockholm this week is Templar, proprietors of throwback metal! These guys started in 2022, but maybe they frozen in ice in 1978 and thawed out in 2022.

The song is a solid throwback metal song, feels a lot more like 1979-1982 era stuff. Like they could open for Riot. Not Quiet Riot, but Riot. It starts with some live footage before kicking into the dueling guitar intro. They do the cool thing where each guitar is in its own channel, so you can hear difference. Unless you’re missing a speaker or are deaf in one ear, then you only hear 75% of the band. They’ve got a great chugga sound, and the vocals harken back to the bygone era of feathered hair and songs about traveling the wilderness to fight the beast. There’s a great echo effect during the solo, it makes it sound extra layered and stuff. The song’s also just short of three and a half minutes; doesn’t feel like they left any meat on the bone for this one! Just a solid throwback shred fest.

The video bounces between live footage and what appears to be a band photo shoot. They seem a little nervous playing with the bigass sword and the torch, but otherwise they seem to be having a good time. I hope they used the group photo for a Christmas card. The live footage doesn’t always synch with the audio, which is a little off-putting, but otherwise it’s solid.

Friday Morning Metal – Texas Hippie Coalition – Bones Jones

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Did you know there’s a Texas Hippie Coalition? I just learned today and now you get to, as well! They’ve been around since 2004, playing big heavy groove metal that is pretty reminiscent of Pantera or other late 90’s acts. True to form, they’ve had 7 different drummers. I hope none of them choked on vomit, that would be dreadful.

The song kicks into chuggy gear pretty quick. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s a pretty beefy groove metal sound, with a solid beat that’d be great for like boxing or working out. Solid cadence & whatnot. The vocals are deep and beefy, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they say “Southern Styllllllle” in another song. Apparently Bones Jones is a tweaker and a soul seeker. He also air guitars the solo which is very noodly and very 1995. All in all, it’s a great throwback to an era that wasn’t 1985, and it’s fun. So if you have a shirt with the sleeves ripped off and the urge to backyard wrestle, you should give these guys a shot.

The video is a wacky races meets Rat Fink cartoon, with the band and Mr. Bones Jones racing to a haunted castle after introducing our racers. And some other bits about what kind of guy Bones Jones is. Bones Jones is a pretty great name, it’s too bad I don’t know any Joneseses, because they’d get nicknamed pretty quickly. Oh and Bones Jones bites some boobs, so if you’re at work, make sure you’re not sharing this screen on your Zoom.

Friday Morning Metal – Ovary Axe – Rise up to Fall

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Ovary Axe, now that’s a metal band name! This is a project fronted by Canadian singer Emm Gryner, who calls herself the Gryndmother for Rise up to Fall. According to a music life magazine article that felt like half AI and half press release, she was a pop singer for a while and released some work and then decided to be metal. And that’s pretty cool, metal is a vital nutrient in one’s musical upbringing. Also Ovary Axe, that’s just brütal.

Starting a song with a metal scream is a great way to let people know you mean business. It’s a pretty standard chuggy hard rock/metal melody, and the vocals are layered pretty well over it. The guitar solo is pretty solid, fitting in with the general melody while adding some noodlin. It transitions to a good breakdown that I could see getting a crowd shouting RISE UP TO FALL and whatnot. And at just under 3 minutes, it’s a good proof of concept of a solid metal band getting going.

The video itself pops between her singing in front of a projector of the lyrics and then some studio work. They added some glitchy stuff to the projector plus some aging to the video to give it a rough edgy look. All in all I’m digging on the song and look forward to more OVARY AXE.

Friday Morning Metal – Skräcken – House of Greed

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Oooh Swedish metal! Skräcken got their start in 2022, pumping out big riffs with occult flair. Gotta include the umlaut in the name, as the umlaut is one of the most metal accents, up there with that o with the line through it. This guy: ø. According to the metal encyclopedia, their themes include occult, witches, and dark spirits. I assume they mean ghosts and not like… rum.

The song is pretty straightforward, with some solid riffs driving drums. The vocalist is solid, apparently she was in Night Viper previously, so that explains the great chops. Everything meshes well, giving a good throwback vibe while maintaining spookiness. At 3 minutes and change, the song doesn’t dawdle too much. There’s a cool breakdown toward the end, when the spooky lady in the video starts walking backward. All in all it’s pretty great and I’m looking forward to listening to more of their stuff.

The video is primarily a spooky lady wandering around a farm or something, plus old spooky photos. It’s quite spooky. I don’t think I’d want to live at that farm, it looks like it needs a lot of work. And probably some ghost bustin. Though that does make me feel good. It’s wild how black & white filming and adding scuffs to the video can make something spookier. But it helps set the tone of the song definitely.

Friday Morning Metal – Helms Deep – Flight of the Harpy

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Ooooh a metal band named after a Tolkien thing, now we’re talking. Helms Deep is based out of Florida, and I don’t think they have songs about swamps, gators, or Bortles, but they do have a big metal sound, and a new album, Chasing the Dragon, featuring Flight of the Harpy. According to the Metal Encylopedia they don’t have themes. But right now I’m getting a lot of harpy. Oh and now I know why they seemed familiar, there’s a Helm’s Deep from Seattle and I’m pretty sure I saw them play with Red Fang at the Shakedown. They were pretty good times.

Like a good throwbacky metal song, we kick off with some chuggy guitars and a kickass falsetto scream. I enjoy that the vocals bounce between growls and falsetto, feels nice and raw-ish or something. The escalating dueling guitar melodies before dropping into the solo is a fun amp up. And some plinky plunky xylophoniness for a breakdown! It’s a pretty bombastic breakdown, gives off Phantom of the Opera vibes, before cutting back to the main riff coupled with some good falsetto. It’s also great to hear the bass up in the mix, really technical stuff toward the end too,

Unfortunately I couldn’t find music videos for them, hopefully they can crank one out because the lyrics have enough going on you could make a video about a harpy flying around at night, eating like… I donno… evil children or goats or something. Maybe some dude tries to fight the harpy but he can’t fight the flight of the harpy, due to her razor claws, so he loses, only for the harpy to keep eating stuff.

And I’d be remiss if I talked about harpies so much without referencing the Queen of the Harpies.